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DREDGING MACHINE.

No. 410,759. Patented Sept. 10, 1889.

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DREDGING MACHINE.

No. 410.759. Patented Sept. 10, 1889,

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UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

. \VILLIAM P. HUMPHREYS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TOCHARLES DODGE, OF EST WVASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

DRED GING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,759, datedSeptember 10, 1889.

I Application filed March 26, 1889. Serial No. 304,780. (No model.)

had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to dredges, and has particular reference to, first,a means for manipulating an excavator or cutter to cause it to assumeany desired angle of inclination; second, the construction of the cutteritself whereby its efficiency and capacity are i11- creased.

The following detailed description will fully explain the nature andpurpose of my said invention and the manner in which it is carried intouse.

The accompanying drawings illustrate what I consider a good means forcarrying my invention into practice.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an end por tion of a dredger-scow withmy improvements attached. Fig. 2 represents the jointed operating-armsdetached. Fig. 3 is a view of the adjusting-screw detached. Fig. 4 is aninverted view of the cutter or excavator having an open bottom withcutting or scraping arms extending from the hub outward. Fig. 5 is asimilar View, on an enlarged scale, showing scrapers on the arms eachextending the full radius of the bottom opening, the helical passagesbeing indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 6 is a transverse central sectionof Fig. 5. Fig. 7 represent-s one of the arms with the detached scraperupon it. Fig. 8 is a section of Fig. 7 on line X X. Fig. 9 is aninverted plan of an excavator having scrap-' ers on the arms eachcovering only a portion of the radius from hub to edge of opening.Fig.10 is a perspective view of one .of the scrapers on a portion of anarm.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures where they occur.

A is an end portion of a dredge-boat, and B a suitable standard orframe, from which the swinging end of a suction-pipe and the excavatorare manipulated.

C is a block and tackle, the cable of which runs over suitable pulleys CC" to elevate and lower the swinging end of the suctionpipe and theexcavator.

D is the swinging end of a suction-pipe, and D a ladder on which it issupported.

E is the excavator, which isof the revoluble type, and is connected tothe end of the suction-pipe by a joint D*, and is held by a standard F,which is hinged to the outer end of the ladder. To the standard, or apart fixedthereto, the cable of the tackle is also attached. Theexcavator'is revolved by suitable gearing F, operated by a driving-shaftin the usual mannenwhich need not be particularly described. Extendingfrom the top of the standard F into a suitable port-ion of frame 13 is ajointed arm, the members G G of which are pivoted to the standard andthe frame, respectively, at their ends, and are united by a swivelingand sliding joint at their meeting ends, one member having a slot g, andthe other a pin g, which works in the slot. By means of this joint thecentral portion of the arm can be raised and lowered, thus having ashortening effect and drawing the top of the standard F inward andchanging the inclination of the excavator.

To accomplish the adjustment of the jointed arm, I prefer to attach theend of one of its members, preferably the slotted one, to a screw H,which has a hand-wheelh, by which the screw is raised or lowered. Bythis means the angle of the jointed arms is changed at will, and theangle of inclination of the excavator consequently changed as may bedesired.

The excavator is of the revolving type, and its general construction andoperation are the same as that shown in the application of J. H. VonSchmidt, filed January 22, 1889, Serial No. 297,183; but I have madecertain improvements in the excavator, which I will now describe.

I provide in the center of the bottom of the excavator an opening of asgreator greater area than the suction-opening above, and the helicalpassages leading from the periphery of the excavator to the excavatorpreferably terminate at the periphery of the opening. Extending from thehub to the periphery of the excavator are cutting-arms I, which span thesemi opening and deliver the spoil which they dislodge under saidopening into the excavator directly in line with the suetion-openin gabove, while their curved ends sweep the spoil outside to the peripheryof the center to be taken in through the helical passages. The arms Imay be provided with scrapers J which, as shown in Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8,may extend across opening e, and may be coincident in width with thecutting-arms, or may extend below their lower edge. These scrapers maybe integral with or formed separate from the cutting-arms and have acurved face to catch the spoil and deliver it into the excavator, andact more efficiently than the arms alone.

Instead of having the scrapers extend from the hub to the circumferenceof the opening 6, they may be made of less length, as shown in Figs. 9and 10, and set in echelon order on the different arms to cover theentire diameter of the opening 0 at each revolution of the excavator.These are preferably made to project below the arms, as shown in Fig.10, and the curve is such as to prcsenttheir cutting-edge squarelyagainst a radial line of the cutter, as will be seen in Fig. 9, toincrease the taking power of the blades. There may be a standard F oneach side of the excavator, and also twoj ointed arms to be operated inregulating the inclination of the excavator, one attached to eachstandard. Itis also evident that other regulating means besides thescrew can be used to raise and lower the arm-sections. It is alsoevident that the scrapers, which are integral with the cut-tingarms, maybe shorter than the radius of the opening in the bottom, and also thatthose formed of a separate piece may extend the full length.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patcut, is-

1. The combination, with a suction-pipe, an excavator jointed to thesuction-pipe, and a pivoted standard by which the excavator is jointedtogether attached to the top of the standard at one end and to a fixedportion of the dredge-boat at the other for regulating the inclinationof the standard, as set forth.

2. The combination, with a suction-pipe, an excavator jointed to theouter end thereof, and a standard by which the excavator 1s carried, ofan arm composed of two parts pivoted together and to the standard anddredgeboat at their outer ends, and a screw for regulatin g theelevation of the meeting pivoted ends of the two parts of the arm,as setforth.

The combination, with a suction-pipe, an excavator swung thereupon, anda pivoted standard, of a jointed arm composed of two members, one havinga slot and the other a pin working therein, and an adjusting-screwattached to the end of one of the members of the arm, as set forth.

t. A rotary excavatorhaving cutting-edges on its sides andspoil-passages leading therefrom to the suction-opening, and a centralcircular opening in the bottom of equal or greater area than thesuction-opening above, the center of said bottom opening being beneaththe center of the suction-openin g.

A rotary excavator having cutting'edges on its sides and helicalpassages leading inward. therefrom and provided with a central openingin the bottom thereof, and cutting arms extending over said. opening,substantially as set forth.

6. A rotary cxcavatorhaving cutting-edges on its sides and passagesleadinginward from said edges and provided with a central. opening inthe bottom, and cutting-arms with scrapers upon them beneath saidopening, as set forth.

7. A rotary excavator having euttingedges on its sides and passagesleadinginward, and having a central opening in the bottom, andcutting-arms, each having a scraper integral with itself beneath theopening, as set forth.

8. A rotary excavator having cutting-edges on its sides and passagesleading inward therefrom, and having a central opening in the bottom,and radial arms having their portions which span the opening hollowed onone side and provided with a lower protruding cutting-edge, as setforth.

In testimony whereof I ai'lix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAM. l. :IIUMPIIREYS. lVitnesses:

I. N. KALB, F. T. 1*. JOHNSON.

